Proof in your hand that fairy tales come true

I may be the only person in the world who missed this bit of wedding gown related news, but in case some of you good folks also missed it, a limited edition of the coffee table book “A Dress for Diana” by designers by David and Elizabeth Emanuel comes with 4-inch swatches of the silk used to fashion Princess Diana’s famous wedding gown. By which I mean the ultimate fairy tale gown…an ivory taffeta and antique lace confection with a wonderfully oversized train.

A piece of history will cost you, however. The thousand run-off limited edition book containing bits of the iconic fabric was originally priced at $2,000, but I imagine that this figure will skyrocket as the books begin to change hands.

The Emanuels were recent art college graduates when Lady Diana Spencer commissioned them to design the dress for her marriage to Prince Charles. Their creation, designed and sewn under high security as photographers went through their trash and rented rooms across from their studio, had a 25-foot train.

The silk that did not make the cut into the dress was kept in a bank vault for years.

Elizabeth Emanuel said she and her husband are not exploiting public devotion for the princess — although their book, which was originally supposed to come out on the 25th anniversary of the wedding is now tied to the 10th anniversary of Diana’s death.

If the book’s four-figure price tag puts you off, the original edition of the book costs about twenty bucks. You can also get your princess bride fix with other books like Debrett’s Book of the Royal Wedding, Invitation To A Royal Wedding, and Grace Kelly: Icon of Style to Royal Bride. And, of course, there is always the Princess Diana Paper Doll Book of Fashion, which is a bit of silly fun.